Unpredictable Journey
by cinderella111
Summary: Centred around Harry and Sirius. Harry is older and learns that he has a godfather in prison who is to be released. In this story Harry has had a rough childhood and was kind of like that dodgy neighbourhood kid. Also, this story starts just as Harry has finished school. He defeated Voldemort without the help of Sirius and I will also be ignoring the other deaths in the books.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first time, just wanted to see what it would be like…

All characters and events from the Harry Potter series belong to J. .

This Story: Centred around Harry and Sirius. Harry is older and learns that he has a godfather in prison who is to be released. In this story Harry has had a rough childhood and was kind of like that dodgy neighbourhood kid. Also, this story starts just as Harry has finished school. He defeated Voldemort without the help of Sirius and I will also be ignoring the other deaths in the books. My Sirius and Harry are also quite different from the ones in the books. Well, here goes…

Chapter 1: The Visit

When Harry climbed out of the Ministry boat that had escorted him to Azkaban, he was not expecting to feel nervous. All the build-up, all the opinions from those who advised him against this visit seemed to disappear as he allowed his mind to finally accept the fact that he was about to see Sirius Black. He pulled his hoody tightly over his head as he silently cursed the icy wind. As he walked beside the Azkaban guard he wondered briefly if his goose bumps were from the cold or from the unwelcoming stone face of the massive prison in front of him. As the prison got steadily larger and larger, he couldn't help but notice how the guard beside him kept giving him half glances. "What the hell is Harry Potter doing here?" he probably thought. Harry smiled to himself at this…he could read people far better than most thought.

When finally Harry stepped through about three heavy barred gates, he was escorted through the maze of passages to the wards where prisoners were kept separate from each other, under maximum security. He was taken into a brightly lit room which contained one table with two chairs on either side and a guard standing in the corner. Harry couldn't help but shudder at the prisoner's chair which had chains hanging limply from the armrests.

"Mr Black will be with you shortly." The escort said and left the room. Harry sat there, staring at the empty chair for what felt like ages, getting somewhat annoyed by the guard that kept glancing at him. When finally he could hear footsteps outside the door, he felt as if his heart was going to explode. The first man to enter was a guard who looked a little unsettled; he took his place in the corned opposite the other guard. The second man that entered was not at all what Harry expected. This must have been Sirius Black…he was wearing a prisoner's uniform. However, this was not at all the image Harry had mentally. This man was tall and confident. He looked young and handsome, clean shaven and strong. The only features that hinted towards incarceration were the slight shadows under his eyes and his almost underfed physique. Yet he carried a relieved expression that quickly turned to blank shock when his eyes fell on Harry.

Harry gazed at him, completely hypnotised by the crystal blue in Black's gaze. Sirius Black took his seat across Harry and stared at him with a straight face. The longest moment passed by before Harry finally realised that Sirius was waiting for him to say something. After clearing his throat, Harry willed himself to speak, "Mr Black, do you know who I am?" It was a simple question yet it never altered the blank expression on Sirius' face.

"Well judging by your eyes and hair," He said softly, "you must be Harry."

He looked at Harry for a long moment with an almost smile. Harry could not find any words to respond with. He had imagined everything up to this point; the prison, the meeting, the introduction. What the hell was he supposed to say now? He started with the reason he decided to make the visit in the first place.

"Yes…I'm Harry." He said, "Peter Pettigrew was captured during the fight against Voldemort a few months ago, he confessed to everything…I didn't know I had a godfather, no one told me…I guess when I heard you were to be released tomorrow, I wanted to visit you."

Sirius smiled at Harry yet Harry knew he could not decide what to say. "Tell me Harry," He finally responded, "What were you expecting to gain from today? Closure?"

Harry didn't know what response he was expecting but that certainly was not it. He didn't know what he really wanted from this; he just had to meet this man, whose existence only got thrown into his life a few months ago.

"No…" Harry replied, "I didn't want to gain anything. I guess I just wanted to meet you. You were imprisoned here but you are innocent. You…you're my godfather…"

Sirius' expression saddened slightly. He looked at Harry curiously, taking him in. "You look quite a bit like you parents, Harry. Your eyes are so much like Lily's yet they are darker. I'm so sorry Harry, for everything that has happened to you and that I could not fulfil my duties to you as I promised…However, I still remain your godfather, regardless of what our pasts has taken from us. If you came here because you hope to gain a kind of relationship with me, I will do my very best."

That last statement shocked Harry. Was that what he wanted? Was this more than curiosity? Apparently this man was also good at reading people. Yet he didn't know Harry, he had only met him, how could he so easily want a relationship with a seventeen year old boy?

"You look like you could throw a good punch" Sirius said, breaking the silence. He smiled broadly and added, "The newspapers make you out to be very small and fragile, but I can see you easily gaining respect from people"

Harry thought that was an odd thing to say but realised that his godfather was just trying to break the ice. "You know," Harry replied, "I can say the same about you…you only look half as intimidating as the papers make you out to be"

Sirius chuckled and Harry laughed with him. His godfather knew Harry was referring to his shaven head and well set jaw line. Harry found himself growing fond of this man, he was not angry or bitter, just grateful that he was soon to be free and that Harry recognised this. When they finally stopped laughing, Harry looked down at his hands with a smile on his face, he felt that getting along with Sirius would come easy.

"So you're seventeen Harry," Sirius finally said, "All done with school…What do you plan to do now?"

"Well," Harry replied, "I have been accepted by a university to study to become an Auror."

"Excellent," said Sirius, "Last I heard you were living with your aunt and uncle, where do you plan to stay while you are studying?"

Harry frowned slightly. He certainly wasn't staying with the Dursleys. He had been staying with the Weasleys since school ended but the prospect of living there whilst studying was looking less appealing by day.

"I haven't really thought about it yet…" Harry replied. He looked at Sirius who raised an eyebrow and smiled again.

"I own an estate." He stated casually, "It is where I am planning to stay from tomorrow. It was my parents'. If you wish, you are more than welcome to join me."

"What?" Harry asked, "That's a very kind offer but… I mean you hardly know me, nor I you…"

Sirius nodded and smiled, "Remus Lupin has been paying me visits lately, he has told me a lot about you. He said how kind and friendly you are… he said you were looking for a place to stay and that if I ever wanted a relationship with my godson I should start by moving you into my estate. However, I can assure you Harry that you have been on my mind every day since my incarceration and that I will do my very best to be a good godfather to you. I am not expecting miracles or expecting us to bond over tea, but I am offering this to you because Remus said you needed a break…from everyone…Of course you don't have to, but you can always try it out, just for a bit if you like."

Harry stared at him. This was a risk and they both knew it. Yet when Harry looked into Sirius' eyes he saw nothing but sincerity. This man was kind; he was not the monster that Skeeter had made him out to be. This man cared for Harry so much that just after a few minutes of knowing him he wanted to take him into his home. Harry did need a break, he needed to be refreshed, he needed a new experience…he needed this unpredictable journey.

"Alright," Harry said, "I mean…yeah…Remus was right, this would probably be good for me."

Sirius smiled brightly, accentuating his laugh lines and finally making him look his age. He glared at Harry until finally one of the guards took a step forward and said, "Unfortunately time is up Mr. Black, we have another visit booked in a few minutes."

Sirius stood up and before he left the room he said to Harry, "Remus will escort you to my estate tomorrow, Harry. I will see you there."

Harry nodded and stepped between Sirius and the guard to exit the room, "Alright." Harry said, wondering if he might regret this later.

As Harry turned left where Sirius was to turn right, Sirius turned to look at him and said, "You know Harry, you just gave me a reason to look forward to my freedom." And with that Sirius turned to leave, eliminating any doubts Harry had previously had.

Upon Harry's departure from the higher security section, he walked past the person who had clearly booked the next visiting session, Draco Malfoy. They glanced at each other for a moment, neither angry nor frowning, simply understanding. For the first time in his life Harry truly felt sorry for his former enemy and Draco simply nodded to him.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry this took so long. Was having trouble figuring out how to post a chapter. Anyone have any idea as to what Harry's University should be called?

All characters and events from the Harry Potter series belong to J. .

This Story: Centred around Harry and Sirius. Harry is older and learns that he has a godfather in prison who is to be released. In this story Harry has had a rough childhood and was kind of like that dodgy neighbourhood kid. Also, this story starts just as Harry has finished school. He defeated Voldemort without the help of Sirius and I will also be ignoring the other deaths in the books. My Sirius and Harry are also quite different from the ones in the books. Well, here goes…

Chapter 2: The Move

When Harry woke the next morning he smiled slightly as he felt the warm sun tickle his face. His eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the light. It was only when the events of the previous day came flooding back to him that his heart started pounding in his chest. Today he was going to move in with Sirius.

Although Sirius had told Harry he could try it out for a bit, Harry honestly had nowhere else to go if he didn't like it there. Besides, the man's offer was very kind and Harry did not want to seem ungrateful. He and Sirius had developed a small connection the previous day, but Harry could not help but feel nervous. Would Sirius like him? Would he and Harry have things in common?

Harry had packed his belongings the previous night and fallen instantly to sleep expecting to dream about Sirius. However he did not recall having dreamt anything and there might have been a good explanation for that. After the war had ended Harry had begun to take a dreamless sleep potion every night because he feared being brought back to the presence of Voldemort and the memories of being tortured. He also noticed that lately when he did not take it he never dreamed anyway and wondered if the potion could have a permanent affect.

If he was going to be studying whilst living with Sirius, he hoped that Sirius would be able to help him with some of his work. Thanks to the war, their final year got interrupted about eighty percent of the time. He and Ron had only scraped a pass. He also assumed that because the two of them were quite well known amongst the Wizarding world, they were accepted into the university on that basis. Harry sighed, studying to be an aura was an obvious choice but he was tired of that lifestyle already. Obviously the Order was still going, there were loads of Death Eaters who were seeking revenge. Not for Voldemort himself, but for those that were thrown in prison and given a bad reputation. There were those few who were stupid enough to wonder if Voldemort would return, therefore being as active against the ministry as possible would give them brownie points should that be the case. Wormtail was amongst them and because of his personal connection to Harry, he was under a lot of protection. Mainly Ministry protection. Therefore whenever Harry decided to go somewhere, even if it was a walk down the road, there was always someone following him.

Carrying his two bags down the stairs he never bothered to say good morning to his aunt and uncle who were having their morning tea. They never questioned the bags or the fact that Harry was already dressed. However, Harry knew he would need to at least tell them he was moving out.

Clearing his throat, Harry stated, "Um, I'm moving out today…to a er friend's house." He never bothered mentioning Sirius as that would require further explaining. Uncle Vernon simply grunted. He did not wait long before he could hear a hooter outside. Opening the front door Harry turned to his Aunt and Uncle and said a quick goodbye to which he got no response. He walked towards a car with a driver he did not recognise. However, leaning on the passenger door was Remus Lupin, grinning at him kindly.

Harry dropped his bags to hug the man hello. "You've grown." He said kindly.

"Please Remus," Harry smiled, "You saw me a few months ago."

"I know," He replied, taking Harry's bags and throwing them in the trunk. "That's the reason for my shock…but you're still a little short."

Rolling his eyes Harry followed Remus into the car. The ride was long but Harry and Remus spoke about many things considering the events and changes that have taken place since the war. Remus filled Harry in on how the Ministry was begging the Order to become a branch of the government or to employ them as Death Eaters.

"They're just trying to make up for the way they acted, clean up their mess." Remus had stated with a smile. Then his face suddenly grew serious.

"You know Harry," He said, "Sirius is a very good man, we all feel terrible for thinking him a traitor, but just give him a chance. He has a hard exterior but he is very kind hearted."

"I know," Harry said, "I mean, when I met him, he was very nice and I guess I understand why no one told me about him but I just don't know what to expect."

Remus nodded, "Don't expect anything, let your relationship develop on its own. Besides you two have a very similar sense of humour."

Harry smiled. He was going to reply when Remus finally said, "Ah…We're here."

The car pulled up to a massive house, no _mansion_. Harry's heart thudded and he wondered if was actually going to be able to walk from the nervousness he felt.

"Relax, Harry." Remus said, "Sirius is probably just as nervous as you are."

That didn't help, but help was all Remus was trying to do so Harry just nodded. Once his bags were out the trunk Remus led him through the front door. Door was an understatement, Harry felt like he was walking into a mini version of Hogwarts. When they stepped in, Harry wasn't sure where to look. There was a giant staircase ahead of them which split left and right. A door to the left opened and Sirius walked in.

He was wearing a plain shirt and jeans which made him look slightly more approachable. He smiled broadly and looked down at Harry's luggage frowning. "Harry," He said, "You know that when you move you're supposed to take all your belongings with you."

"These are all my belongings but my broom is still at Ron's" Harry replied, smiling back.

Sirius raised an eyebrow and smiled at Remus. "Well," he said, "I'll show you you're room Harry. Remus would you wait in the board room, I'll be there soon to help arrange it for the Order."

Remus nodded and walked through the door that Sirius had just entered through.

"The Order's coming?" Harry asked.

Sirius frowned, "Sorry Harry. I forgot to mention that this would be the Order's new headquarters. I know you must be tired of all the Order business but I can assure you that you are my first priority."

Harry blushed. It made sense, the Orders original headquarters was the Weasley house but since it was intercepted and they moved out, the Order would naturally need a new premises.

Sirius grabbed Harry's bags and begun to walk up the stairs. Harry followed close by, wondering why Sirius would think him tired of Order business. In truth he was but he had never voiced it to anyone. As they walked Sirius began to talk again.

"This house has so many rooms I was not sure which one you would like. But the Order is coming over today to discuss an important issue. Apparently the Weasleys have been struggling to find a big enough and safe enough place to stay so Remus offered them rooms here on my behalf. They are coming over to discuss this later. I chose one of the rooms that are attached to a lounge for myself. It has another room opposite which I thought you would like. I hope that's alright Harry, I tried to find one where you would have enough privacy and where I would still be close should you need anything.

"I…" Harry began feeling overwhelmingly grateful, "Thank you, Sirius."

Sirius smiled at him and said, "I know you are friends with the Weasley's children so at least you won't feel uncomfortable living with them but there will be time for you and I to catch up Harry, heaven knows there's a lot of catching up needed."

"It's perfect Sirius." Harry said as he realised that Sirius was interpreting his silence as being doubtful of the situation. The thought of living with the Weasleys again would be strange were it not for the sheer enormity of the house. Everyone would have their space and no one would get on each other's nerves. He thought this would probably be good for Ron, as he did not have the best relationship with his parents at the moment. They still had not forgiven him for running off to hunt horcruxes. Not to mention that now the war was over, he still was not talking to his brother, Percy, and he had a lot of unresolved feelings toward his parents. Harry had discussed this with him a few weeks ago via letters and he could not help but feel sorry for Ron.

The house was beautiful, not overly ornate but not boring. Finally they entered a hallway and when he and Sirius reached the end he opened a door to a beautiful lounge. It was big and well lit thanks to a massive window ahead of them. There was a decent sized bookshelf and massive soft looking sofas. There was a door to his left and one to his right. Sirius gestured to the one on the right and said that that was his room and that Harry was welcome in there any time.

"And this," He said, opening the door to the left," is your room."

The room was huge. It had a beautiful double bed with a Victorian headboard. He had a large closet and a balcony. He also noted that the room had an en suite with a bath and shower.

"Wow, Sirius." He said, "This is lovely…I…Thank you so much." He turned to look at Sirius who was smiling at Harry.

"It's my pleasure Harry. I know you might be a tad overwhelmed. It can't be easy meeting someone one day and the next you're moving in with them. Just promise me one thing, Harry."

"Of course." Harry replied.

"If you need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask…I'm just across the lounge."

"Thank you Sirius," Harry looked at his feet, "For everything."

"Stop thanking me Harry" Sirius replied softly, "It's the least I can do. I know I am a stranger to you Harry but I really want a relationship with you, I hope it's not too late."

"Of course not." Harry said. He wanted a relationship with Sirius too. He felt like Sirius was just as deprived of something as he was. He decided to break the silence.

"So will Remus be staying here too? And Tonks?" Harry said wondering if Sirius knew who Tonks was.

"Yes he will be and as for my cousin, she will be too. In fact the whole Order is staying here tonight besides Dumbledore. Remus is not sure where the man disappears to but I'm not very phased about it. I know the other members from when I was much younger. Tonight everyone needs to decide what is going to happen. Obviously there are still threats from the death eaters but for now, this place is the safest after Hogwarts."

Harry nodded, "Tonks is your cousin?"

"Oh yes although I have not seen her in years Remus speaks quite highly of her." Sirius replied. He looked around the room once more and down to Harry. "Again Harry, if you need _anything_…_anytime_."

Harry nodded again, smiling. Sirius was a very kind person and Harry felt very relaxed now. After Sirius left, muttering something about giving Harry some space, Harry sighed. Why was Sirius so adamant about Harry asking him for anything? Had Remus mentioned that Harry was not himself after the war? What did they expect; no one was the same after the war.

Harry sat down on his bed. It was nice, clean and soft. He was not fazed about living with the Order but rather worried about how much of his life it would take up. Sighing, he began to unpack his things and started to look forward to the prospect of exploring the house. A few moments after had had unpacked he decided to go downstairs. As he approached the unfamiliar door he took a deep breath, he needed to relax…he had no idea why he was so uptight all the time. Opening the door he was awed by the sheer enormity of the board room, there were chairs for three times the amount of Weasleys he knew. Remus and Sirius were sitting on the far end of the massive oak table. He heard Remus say, "you two will get along fine…" before he noticed Harry's presence and smiled. Sirius turned to look at him.

"Harry," He smiled, "would you like anything to drink? I would offer you some lunch but Remus tells me that Mrs. Weasley will more than likely begin cooking the minute she gets here."

Harry smiled, "Yes she probably will, I'd like a glass of water thanks." He said as he approached their end of the table. He was surprised to see Sirius get up and leave to the next room which must have been the kitchen and pore Harry's water himself. Perhaps after years of not being allowed to use magic made him need it less. After Sirius handed harry his glass he sat back down next to him. They sat in a comfortable silence until Remus left to go to the bathroom. Then it was awkward. Harry felt like he needed to say something and he supposed Sirius had felt the same. He had an odd need to tell Sirius everything about his life after the war, how he had felt oddly lonely, how he wasn't really all that happy. It was strange how much he wanted Sirius to know every detail about his life. So he came up with the most useless thing he could say.

"Your house is very beautiful." He said, taking a sip from his water.

"_Our_ house, Harry." He smiled, "And thank you."

Harry blushed a little. He would have to get used to the prospect of calling this home but had a feeling it would come easy. Sirius rested his hand on Harry's shoulder and he immediately felt relaxed. It was the first time Sirius and Harry had made physical contact. It was strange to Harry that he read so much into that but Sirius' simple gesture had broken down many walls between them.

"Relax, Harry," He said softly, "It's your first day here I don't want you to stop breathing."

Harry released the breath he never knew he was holding. "Sorry, I guess I just don't want to disappoint you."

Sirius' brows knitted. "Harry, don't ever think that…"

Before he could continue Remus walked in and said, "The Weasleys are here."


	3. Chapter 3

All characters and events from the Harry Potter series belong to Rowling. Please let me know if there is something you want to happen in this story. All the reviews have been great. As far as a university name, I ended up going with the suggested Auror Academy.

This Story: Centred around Harry and Sirius. Harry is older and learns that he has a godfather in prison who is to be released. In this story Harry has had a rough childhood and was kind of like that dodgy neighbourhood kid. Also, this story starts just as Harry has finished school. He defeated Voldemort without the help of Sirius and I will also be ignoring the other deaths in the books. My Sirius and Harry are also quite different from the ones in the books. Well, here goes...

Chapter 3: The Meeting

At Remus' announcement Harry stood up, ready to great the Weasleys when they entered. He strangely felt nervous. It had been a small while since he'd seen them and Mrs Weasley wasn't shy about voicing her disappointment in Hermione and Harry as well with them running off during the war to hunt Horcruxes. The last time he'd seen Ron's parents, they seemed conflicted, wanting to thank them for taking action but also wanting to scold them for not getting anyone else involved. How much Sirius knew of this, Harry did not know, but he assumed Remus had filled him in on the important details.

One by one the Weasleys entered the boardroom, all with equal awe on their faces at the beauty and enormity of the room. Eventually they noticed Harry and the twins, Ron, Bill, Charlie and Fleur all hurried to greet him. Ginny hugged him, though rather awkwardly, their relationship had faded somewhat and Harry was not quite sure where he stood with her. Not much more could be said for Mrs And Mr Weasley; they hugged him briefly and asked how he'd been. Percy kept his distance and Harry nodded to him in recognition, he didn't want to be rude yet he had felt more warmth from the nod he received from Draco the previous day.

Something odd happened then, something Harry stupidly didn't anticipate. The Weasleys noticed Sirius standing beside the chair opposite. He had a very slight smile on his face, like he seemed almost anxious. They stared at him in shock and the twins mouths hung open.

"Blimey!" Said George, "It's Sirius Black."

Sirius' smile almost faltered were it not for Mr Weasley stepping forward to shake his hand.

"Remus did inform you I would be here, didn't he?" Sirius asked Mr Weasley nervously.

"Oh yes," Mr Weasley replied, "Forgive my children, they can be…blunt."

After Sirius had been introduced to the entire Weasley family (Harry was sure he saw Percy shake slightly before shaking Sirius' hand) they politely complemented him on the beauty of his house and how kind he was to allow them to stay. Finally everyone had taken a seat. After the other Order members had arrived; including Hermione, Moody, Tonks, Dumbledore and Snape, Mrs Weasley announced that starting a meeting on empty stomachs was a ludicrous idea and hurried off to the kitchen with Ginny and Hermione offering help. At this, Harry smiled at Sirius who returned the acknowledgement of their private joke. While Mrs Weasley was in the kitchen, the conversation had died down to a comfortable silence. Sirius had stayed quiet the entire time, probably taking all the new faces in. He seemed contempt, so Harry did not worry about his godfather feeling uncomfortable. Then, the atmosphere took a direction that Harry never thought it would.

Harry could feel someone staring at him, assuming it was Moody he turned with a smile on his face which fell as soon as he realised it was Percy, who was sitting directly opposite him, on Sirius' right. Percy was looking at him as if Harry had just said something completely insulting.

"So Harry," He said, and of course everyone turned to look at him, "Ron tells me you too will be joining the Auror Academy this year, you know they set an extremely high standard on their pupils."

Well that was an odd, out-of-the-blue statement, Harry thought. Perhaps Percy was trying to fix things between the two of them.

"Um yeah," Harry replied, "I feel quite grateful that they accepted me."

Percy nodded slowly then said, "I can imagine, although I do have to ask, did you put a false name on your application?"

At this, a few faces turned to Percy with clearly the same amount of confusion as what Harry had.

"A false name?" Harry asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well if I were you," Percy raised his eyebrows, "I would have used a false name to make sure they weren't accepting me based on my celebrity status but rather on my talents."

At this jibe, Ron who was seated next to Harry abruptly shot up from his chair.

"What the hell are you trying to say Percy?" Ron shouted.

Harry stood up to calm Ron down. Percy also stood up and began to yell something along the lines of "I'm sure Harry is capable of def…" Then stopped abruptly when a hand fell firmly on his shoulder. Sirius' grip on Percy's shoulder was clearly strong. Harry hadn't even noticed Sirius stand up. Percy quickly sat back down and Sirius released him with a clearly angry look on his face. Ron stormed off, slamming the door behind him. Harry would have followed but he thought Ron needed his space.

Mrs Weasley never noticed the awkward silence when she entered the room with plates of food floating behind her. She asked where Ron was and Mr. Weasley gave her a "Not now" look. While they ate small conversations began to form. Tonks, Remus and Moody started discussing their day and Dumbledore and Snape began to talk about Hogwarts. Percy shifted constantly in his seat and Harry could not help but wonder if he was scared of Sirius now, although Harry didn't mind that one bit, he didn't want the other Weasley's to get the wrong impression. To Harry's surprise Mr Weasley began talking to Sirius about his job, clearly just wanting to put the entire situation behind them. Harry was not surprised when Mr Weasley had not seemed angry at Sirius, Percy was out of line and they all knew it.

The Meeting went by in a haze. It was decided that the Weasleys and other Order members would stay, as would Snape but in the holidays of course. As far as Dumbledore was concerned, he did not require a room in the estate and no one questioned this. Everyone seemed fascinated by Sirius, most of the Weasley children glanced at him every now and then and of course the twins never hesitated to ask how many people Sirius had killed in prison. At this question Sirius had replied, "About twelve I think but I tend to lose count."

At this statement everyone had stopped eating, pudding spoons halfway to their mouths. Both Sirius, Remus and Harry burst out laughing at the same time and were soon joined by everyone else at the table. Harry found himself getting up and making his way to wherever the hell Ron had vanished to.

Harry found him in one of the many rooms which was just as beautiful as his. He placed the plate of food he carried for his best friend on the dressing table and without saying a word he sat beside Ron on the bed.

"Thanks for defending me," Harry stated.

"Percy was being a tosser," Ron replied, "as usual."

"You shouldn't say that," Harry stated, "He's your brother."

"So are you mate." Ron said.

Hermione joined them shortly and the three sat for about two hours talking nonsense and expressing their excitement and nervousness about the Auror Academy. Eventually Harry grew tired and said he was going to bed.

He made his way to his room and thought it would be best to say goodnight to Sirius before he went to sleep. After knocking softly on Sirius' bedroom door he heard him say, "Come in."

Harry entered the dimly lit room and found Sirius sitting on his bed.

"Harry," Sirius said, "Is Ron alright?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, "He's just a little angry."

"That Percy certainly has excellent table manners." Sirius said with a grin on his face, "I hope he doesn't speak to you like that again."

"Well after tonight I think he may be too frightened to speak to me at all." Harry said, smiling.

Sirius looked at Harry curiously, "Sorry, I just felt I needed to get involved. I could tell his words stung."

Harry blushed, "Don't apologise, I'm grateful."

Sirius smiled and said, "Take a seat, unless you'd rather go to bed?"

Harry sat down and smiled, "You know I really think the twins' questions are only going to get worse."

"Ah that's alright; they are good at breaking the ice." Sirius said, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Harry replied a little shocked, "Why do you ask?"

"You seemed a little quiet at dinner."

"So did you," Harry replied.

"Well I enjoy the silent, brooding murderer persona too much to let it go so quickly." Sirius laughed.

Harry giggled, "Well I can see where it may have its advantages."

Sirius smiled and shrugged. "Hermione didn't keep quiet about starting university this year; I noticed you don't talk about it much."

Harry would rather have steered clear of this conversation. He didn't want to go, not really. But he didn't know what he would have studied had his life been…normal. He guessed being truthful was probably best.

"I guess, I'm just not sure what to expect." He said.

"Ah, you will be fine Harry." Sirius reassured, "Remus told me how excellent a student you are.

"No, not while I'm studying, I mean after." Harry explained, "I…I don't know if I will…um."

Sirius' brows furrowed, "You can speak openly with me, Harry."

"Ijustdon'tknowifitswhatIwantbutIdon'tknowwhatIwan t." Harry blurted out.

"I'm sorry," Sirius grinned, "I didn't catch that."

Harry rolled his eyes playfully, and then became very serious.

"I just don't know," He repeated, "If it's what I want, but I don't know what I want… Ever since I got my Hogwarts letter it has seemed as if my whole life has been choreographed according to what has been expected of me and a past that had very little to do with me. My name carries so much unbelievable weight, studying to be an Auror is logical and everyone approves."

Sirius looked very sad then and replied, "I understand Harry, and I can't imagine how heavy the weight is… every move you make gets noticed and you live under a magnifying glass every time you step into public. As far as studying, yes becoming an Auror makes sense but what does not make sense is pursuing something that will not make you happy, was there something else you would have chosen as a career instead?"

"Well that's just it," Harry said, "I can't think of anything else… I guess I could be happy studying there, it's just that… my life seems planned out, to the very end."

Sirius smiled, "I know it may seem that way, especially now but remember that if you hate it, you can leave… sure people may judge you for it but I won't and I doubt your friends will either. I want you to be happy, Harry. And if that means you study for a year and decide it's not for you, we will figure something out."

Harry suddenly felt very warm and he smiled back at Sirius. He didn't feel burdened about university anymore. "I don't think I'll hate it, it's more about how my name and my history, the Order's history, is going to always be a constant."

Sirius frowned, "That is true and unfortunately Harry that is the life that we lead but remember that, yes the Order will be a constant, but so will I."

Harry wasn't expecting that answer, he never thought about it that way, never considered that Sirius had every intention on staying in his life. He then did something very uncharacteristic and leaned forward to hug Sirius. He was about to pull away with regret, then Sirius hugged him back tightly. They stayed like that for a small while when eventually Harry yawned loudly, resulting in a small laugh from his godfather who told him to go to bed before he was out completely.

When Harry finally entered his bedroom it took him a few minutes to notice he was not completely alone. He jolted in surprise when he saw a massive crow perched on his window sill. It was carrying a letter. Harry grabbed the letter quickly as the crow was looking at him like he was dinner. Curious as to how someone had managed to send a letter to _this_ house, he opened the envelope. When Harry read it, his stomach dropped and his heart started to pound. Written in a very scratchy hand was:

_You will not be allowed happiness when you have denied me of mine. You will never be safe and I will always be watching. I look forward to the day when I see the light falter in your eyes, Harry Potter. You took everything away and I am going to get it back. This is not the last you will hear from me, this is not over. I will find you and I will make sure you pay, I will make sure you suffer. I will make sure._

_Peter Pettigrew_


End file.
